J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed dead

Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away of multiple organ failure in New Delhi on Thursday morning after nearly a week long hospitalization. He was 79. "He died due to multi-organ failure at 9:10 this morning despite our best attempts to resuscitate him," said an AIIMS official.

Under-treatment at the hospital since December 24, 2015 Mr. Sayeed, was detected with sepsis, decreased blood counts and pneumonia and his condition took a turn for the worse on Wednesday. He has been on ventilator support since early this week. Earlier, doctors had maintained that though he was on essential medication and supportive therapy the leader was hemodynamically stable but required respiratory support.

Mr Sayeed, a two time chief minister of the state had started his second tenure on March 1st, 2015 in alliance with the BJP, after having led the state government between 2002-05 previously. He was the founder of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (JKPDP) that he founded in 1999 to persuade "the Indian government into an unconditional dialogue with the Kashmiri people."

In a long career in politics, Mr Sayeed was a Congressman till 1987, and had been minister for tourism in the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1986, after which he joined former Prime Minister V P Singh's National Front government as India's home minister. His short stint there (1989-90) was marred by the kidnapping by Kashmiri militants, of his daughter Rubaiyya Sayeed.

Mr Sayeed's other daughter Mehbooba Mufti is considered his political heir, and through his illness there has been talk of her succeeding to the chief minister's chair in Jammu and Kashmir.